


remember those walls i built?

by wlwpeggycarter



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Coffee Shops, Coming Out, Fluff, Light Angst (very very light), M/M, anxiety (not heavily described), bullying (not heavily described), idk it's simple and sweet and jack and bitty bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 20:03:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9140182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wlwpeggycarter/pseuds/wlwpeggycarter
Summary: Jack and Bitty's relationship and how it progresses over time.(for yogdad on tumblr)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this fic!!! It means a lot to me. I'm not sure I like how it came out, but this is my first fic about zimbits so I hope everyone likes it. This fic is based off the comic 'omg check please!' on tumblr, and I own nothing regarding the comic. 
> 
> This fic is for Noah, yogdad on tumblr, bc ae was so kind to help me with my physics work!!! I really hope you like this fic, and I'm so sorry it took so long to write. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated <333
> 
> Find me on tumblr at jewiishbucky

_ Remember those walls I built _

_ Well Baby they're tumbling down _

_ And they didn't even put up a fight _

_ They didn't even make a sound _

 

They were at Annie’s and it was mostly empty, Jack had asked him if he wanted to get coffee after checking practice. Bitty, of course, accepted the invitation and noticed his mood had improved significantly after he was invited out for coffee. He tried to not look into that. 

 

They sat in the back of the coffee shop, so even if there were more people, they would not be bothered. The table they are at now is Jack’s favorite, and Bitty is starting to see why. There is a large window next to their table, and it lets in a lot of natural light and offers a nice view. 

 

“Bitty, what are you looking at?” Jack asks him, and he leans across the table to try and get a better look out the window. 

 

“Oh, nothing, just lost in thought I guess.” Bitty says, and moves his coffee out of the way just before it tips over. Jack does not seem to notice that he almost knocked over Bitty’s coffee, which is good. 

 

“What were you thinking about?” Jack sits back in his seat, and as he does he fixes his shirt in a way that makes Bitty lose his breath a little. Lord, this boy is gorgeous. 

 

“Just how nice this spot is, I can see why you like to sit here.” Bitty likes that he can say these things to Jack now, even a couple months ago he would not have dared to. But now that Jack and he are close friends, things are just so much easier. 

 

“Oh, yeah. Someone else was already sitting here last week, so I had to sit by the front window, and it just did not feel right.” 

 

Jack goes on for a bit about how he had to change his seat, and the new things he noticed once he was in said seat. Bitty, quite frankly, zones out for parts of it, but he enjoys watching Jack talk. He becomes so passionate about whatever he is talking about, even if it is only about a new seat. He makes minute facial expressions, so that if someone was not looking for them it would not be noticeable, and he moves his arms and hands around a lot. Bitty loves it. 

 

They stay at Annie’s for a while, and there is a comfortable pause in their conversation. Bitty goes to say something, but Jack beats him to it. 

 

“Can I ask you something?” Jack is not making eye contact with Bitty, but that is not out of the ordinary. 

 

“Yeah, of course Jack.” 

 

“Why are you afraid of checking?” Jack looks up at the end of his sentence, and it looks like it took a lot out of him to ask the question. 

 

“Oh.” Bitty takes a moment to collect his thoughts. He knows Jack would never tell anyone, or make fun of him for what happened. He just doesn't know if he is  _ ready  _ for Jack to know yet. He stares at Jack’s hands, and he sees how they fidget and how his left pinky finger shakes slightly, and he starts talking.

 

“I had some stuff happen to me when I was in middle school. Some of the boys weren't very nice to me. They, uh, they used to push me around and things like that. One time, they- they locked me in a closet overnight and didn't let me out ‘till the morning. All of the things that happened built up to being afraid of checking, I guess.” 

 

Bitty does not look up from the table, he focuses on the lines of the table, until Jack slides his hand into Bitty’s line of vision. 

 

“I’m really sorry, Bittle. Thank you for telling me, for trusting me with that.” Jack nudges his pinky into Bitty’s pinky, and Bitty cannot help but look up. 

 

Jack takes his breath away, once again. He has a small blush on his cheeks, and a private smile on his face. His hair is flopping in his face at  _ just  _ the right angle. and it has taken all of Bitty’s restraint to not fix it. He looks so  _ beautiful _ , it breaks Bitty’s heart that he cannot reach across the table and hold his hand, or kiss him. 

 

_ Focus, Bitty.  _

 

He nudges Jack’s pinky back with his own pinky, and that makes Jack’s smile grow even more. Bitty is frozen for a moment, taking in how he looks sitting in an old, diner chair surrounded by soft lighting. He wishes he could take a picture, not for the first time. 

 

“Yeah, um. I’d appreciate it if you didn't tell any of the other boys. It’s just, I don't really tell a lot of people and if they-”

 

“I won't tell anyone, it's alright.” 

 

“Thank you, Jack. Do you mind if we hear back now? I want to try out a new recipe my mama sent me this weekend.” 

 

Jack agrees and quickly stands up, and when his back is turned, Bitty takes a deep breath and shakes out his shoulders. It will all be fine, eventually. 

 

\+ + + + + 

 

_ I found a way to let you in _

_ But I never really had a doubt _

_ Standing in the light of your halo (oh oh) _

_ I've got my angel now _

 

“Bittle.” 

 

“Mr. Zimmerman.” 

 

Bitty smirks at Jack, even if Jack looks serious now. Jack always looks like that, so it is not much to worry about. 

 

“I wanted to tell you something. It’s important” Jack still does not show any emotion on his face, and now Bitty is worried. 

 

“Um, yeah, what’s wrong?” Bitty does not know what could have gone wrong. He was playing better, he was doing much better at checking practice, his  _ pies _ had even gotten better. (Shitty says that his pies were already perfect, but Bitty tastes the improvement) 

 

“What? Nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to let you know that you're a good friend. And that you've helped me a lot, and I wanted to thank you.” 

 

Bitty closes his eyes and breathes out. Jack makes everything sound so serious sometimes, Bitty has a mini panic every time he uses  _ that _ tone. 

 

“Jack, honey, you don't have to thank me. I  _ like  _ being-” 

 

“I do have to. I wasn't very kind to you, you know, before. And I wanted to thank you for trying with me, and for voting for me.” 

 

They were both sitting at the table in the Haus kitchen, and Bitty is even more confused. 

 

“For captain? Jack, that was so long ago! It’s honestly no big deal. You deserve to be captain, regardless of how you and I got along all those months ago.” Bitty hopes this is the end of the conversation, because he does not know how long he can be honest without slipping up. 

 

Jack smiles at him, and then he puts his fist put towards Bitty. Bitty flinches back on instinct, (large, older boys extending their fists towards him brings back unpleasant memories), and Jack makes an apologetic face. He slows down his fist, and leaves it in front of Bitty. 

 

Bitty does not know what Jack is doing at first, and then it hits him. “Oh! A fist bump. I had no idea you even knew what those were.” Bitty is only half joking, and he sticks out his fist as well. 

 

“Ha ha Bitty.” Jack must think he is joking. 

 

Bitty cannot stop smiling when they walk home together.  

 

\+ + + + + 

  
  


_ It's like I've been awakened _

_ Every rule I had you breaking _

_ It's the risk that I'm taking _

_ I ain't never gonna shut you out _

 

Bitty was trying to sing along to the song, but it was hard to do that when he had a lump the size of a Georgia peach stuck in his throat. The tears were not helping either. He tried to tell Jack how he felt during their goodbyes after the ceremony, but the words just did not come out. It was an awful feeling, not saying what you want to say, and now he has to deal with that for the rest of his life. He will never tell Jack how he feels, it is too late. So now Jack will go to Providence and meet someone nice, and then they will get married and have two kids and a dog and Bitty will be forgotten about and-

 

“ _ Remember those walls I-”  _ Cutting himself off, Bitty wipes away the tears that are falling even faster now. He does not want Jack to move away, and he especially does not want things to change. Jack had become his best friend, and if he left, what was Bitty going to do? Sure, he knew he had everyone else in the Haus, but it would never be the same. 

 

“Lord.” Bitty sighs, and attempts to fold the sweater he was holding. He had been so focused in his thought he did not notice what he was doing to the sweater, and now it is all crinkly at the collar. He will have to iron it out again. 

 

First he feels a hand on his shoulder, and then his name being called. Bitty spins around, and sees Jack standing behind him, breathing heavily and staring at him intensely. Lord, his eyes were so blue, and his tie brought out his eye color  _ so _ well. 

 

_ Focus, Bitty  _ he told himself,  _ Jack does not think about you like that, you have to let it go.  _

 

“Jack. Are you alright? You are out of breath! You should have called me, oh-” 

 

“Bitty.” Jack mumbles, and Bitty looks up at him. Jack looks hesitant, which is something Bitty has never seen on him. It is a little unsettling. 

 

“Jack, honey, what is wrong?” 

 

Their lips glide over each other’s smoothly, and Bitty can taste the chapstick that Jack puts on every morning before he leaves for class. Jack grabs his arms, not in an aggressive way, but in a gentle way. Then, before Bitty can even process how close Jack is standing, how blue his eyes are, or even how calm Jack looks, Bitty is being kissed. Jack Zimmermann is kissing Eric Bittle, and he still has his eyes wide open and he is not kissing back, and-

 

_ Stop overthinking it Bitty. Kiss the boy back, you have been pining after him for months.  _

 

Bitty, taking his own advice, closes his eyes and falls into the kiss. He kisses back, and he must be doing something right, because Jack brings one of his hands to Bitty’s cheek and the other to rest on his back. Jack’s lips are so soft and  _ warm _ , and the kiss is better than Bitty ever imagined it would be. 

 

Jack pulls away first, and Bitty just stands there. He knows he must look like a fool right now, with his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open, but Jack kisses him a second time so he must not mind. 

 

_ Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt!  _

 

Jack pulls away again, and he checks his phone. Bitty feels his blush fading slightly, but he does not have a check on any of his emotions. He feels ecstatic, of course he does, but a part of him is also confused. What does this kiss mean to Jack? Did he know Bitty had a crush on him all this year, and this is Jack’s way of finally showing he feels the same way? Or was this totally spur of the moment, and he just hoped that Bitty felt the same way? 

 

Bitty wants to ask Jack all of these questions and more, but Jack speaks before he can open his mouth. 

 

“I, um, I gotta go. I’ll text you, okay?” He’s walking backwards as he talks, (Bitty will never understand how he does that and still has not run into any walls), and he sounds sad about the fact he has to leave. His face certainly is not showing much happiness, so Bitty hopes he is not projecting his emotions onto Jack. 

 

“Okay.” Bitty mumbles, and as he watches Jack leave, he collapses into the wooden desk chair. He must be in some state of shock, because even when the chair makes a very concerning noise, Bitty does not move to another chair. 

 

_ Jack just kissed me,  _ Bitty thinks,  _ and he is going to text me soon.  _

 

After a minute or two of sitting in the chair, trying to process what just happened, his phone vibrates. Bitty assumes it is from Jack, so he opens the message right away. 

 

**Jack Z: hey bittle**

**Jack Z: :)**

 

\+ + + + + 

 

_ Everywhere I'm looking now _

_ I'm surrounded by your embrace _

_ Baby I can see your halo _

_ You know you're my saving grace _

 

“Um, y’all. I have an announcement. So, if y’all could please listen up.” Bitty is so anxious, his sentences are so choppy. 

 

He does not even know  _ why _ he is anxious, of course the boys will support the both of them. It is completely irrational, but he cannot make his hands stop shaking. 

 

Jack squeezes his shoulder, gently, but firmly, and it makes Bitty feel a little bit better. 

 

Everyone turns to look at him, and he takes a deep breath and just tells everyone. 

 

“Me and Jack are dating.” Bitty does not move after he tells them, he does not even breathe. He just stares at his friends and teammates and waits for everyone’s reactions. 

 

Everyone stares at them for a second, and then all Bitty sees are smiles and hands reaching for him. 

 

“‘Swawesone guys! Thanks for telling us.”

 

“Yeah, it’s totally great. We’re all so happy for you.”   
  


Bitty cannot be more grateful for his group of friends, and he smiles and kicks Jack’s foot under the table. 

 

“This is pretty great, right?” Bitty mumbles, and he expects Jack to look happy, but there is a slight crease between his eyebrows. Bitty is worried that Jack is regretting doing this, and he has a small anxiety attack. 

 

“Do you regret- is this not- I’m sorry I didn’t-”

 

“What? No, Bitty. I’m really happy we did this. Why would you think I wouldn’t be?” Jack looks so confused, so Bitty maybe read his expression wrong?

 

“You just looked, I don’t know. Upset, I guess?” Bitty touches the middle of Jack’s eyebrows as an explanation. 

 

“Oh! I was just thinking about what you said. It’s no big deal, honestly.” Jack smiles and then he is being asked a ton of questions, so Bitty can’t ask him what he meant. It bothers him a little bit for the rest of the brunch.

 

\+ + + + + 

 

They are both laying in Bitty’s bed, and Jack is supposed to be taking a nap before he has to go again, but Jack keeps asking how Bitty feels and how nice it is that everyone knows. 

 

And of course Bitty agrees with him and appreciates his concern for his feelings, but Bitty cannot stop thinking about what Jack said at Brunch. 

 

“Hey, Jack, sweetheart. You know what you said at brunch, when you said you were thinking about what I said? What were you thinking about?” Bitty turns around so he is facing Jack, so they are chest to chest. 

 

“Oh. Bittle, it’s nothing to worry about, I promise.” Jack gets a faint blush on his face when he answers, so now Bitty is even more curious. 

 

“No, come on. Tell me, I’m curious.”

 

“Okay. I was just thinking that, um. When you announced that we were together, you said “Jack and me.”. It’s not ‘Jack and me.’, it’s ‘Jack and I’. But like I said it’s not-”

 

Bitty cannot stop staring at him, with shock and, as scary as it is to admit this, a little bit of love. Bitty swats his shoulder and cuddles in closer to Jack’s chest. 

 

“Jack Zimmermann. I cannot believe you.”  

 


End file.
